>> no clear winner in the italian elections but there is a comeback for so we're berlusconi -- silvio berlusconi. this is al jazeera. here in doha with top stories. a balloon crash over the valley of the kings in egypt killed 19 people. a look at the world's largest train network as india announces a big investment to improve its railways. ♪ >> how greater thanrapper from taiwan called dog g is trying to stop the government from putting

down straight pets. the parliamentary election that was supposed to bring political and economic stability to italy has been quite the opposite. preliminary results show there is no clear winner. equally unclear is how bitter rivals will be able to come together to lead the country. former prime minister silvio berlusconi made a sort of a comeback at may secure the upper house. according to his latest results, his main rival has managed to win a majority in the lower house. and beppe grillo, a comedian turned politician, appears to be riding a wave of protest votes. what happens next? the only solution appears to be some sort of coalition. the outgoing prime minister, his coalition trailed for the and the vote, said the common ground must be found. >> it is too early to consider any solution, nor does arrest upon me to find one. but right now i consider it

essential this maximum transparency between the political forces -- we are all faced with a serious responsibility. the government must ensure transparency for the country. >> barbara, what happens next? berlusconi has offered to form some sort of coalition. how realistic prospect is that, though? >> not very, but there are not many offers on the table. according to the constitution, the president of the republic, georgio napolitano, now has to tell the man with the bigger numbers -- because numbers in parliament, bersani to try to form some sort of coalition and he does not have many options. monti dust is not have enough numbers. it religiously some with berlusconi. i guess that would give you some kind of interim government in

italy that could see the country through to the next election. but if you look at the way the vote was distributed, we are talking about a berlusconi come back. but that is not really what the figures are showing us because he still lost millions of votes compared to last time that italy went to the polls. the country is divided into four -- a quarter did not vote, according voted for -- and then a quarter to the center right and left. half the country, -- rejected conventional politics. that is what a lot of the grillo voters wanted. they did not want to see the same people in parliament or a continuation of the dysfunctional and corrupt scandal-ridden politics and they have been getting used to the last few decades. i think the politicians may try to find some kind of interim government solution to see italy through to the next elections, but if you actually look at the vote and grillo's protest vote, that is not what

the country wants. a lot of supporters say it is not just a protest vote, we want change. and they think he is the best way to achieve that. >> the financial markets have reacted nervously to this inconclusive result. what are the implications of it for the italian, it -- economy and the eurozone? but they are huge. we have already seen the markets hurt. milan stock exchange -- a bigger sale tomorrow, that is not expected to go very well, either. that is in italy's main problem. it manages to balance its budget every year. the problem is the enormous debt it has. 120% of its gross domestic product. because the economy is not growing, they have very little chance of repaying the debt off. whatever the market is scared about the italian situation, viewing the situation as unstable, then the interest of

the enormous debt starks' shooting up. then a lot of people get scared about a possible italian and ability to pay off the interest on the bed and italy having to ask for a bailout the eu and eurozone have to -- cannot afford. but we are still a ways from that. we are not seeing the interest that we saw at the end of the berlusconi era. the markets -- the markets are cautious but as soon as there is some idea what will happen politically, the better. >> live in rome. the uncertainty in italy has worried eurozone politicians who had been pleased about the cuts and tax rises mario monti's government put into place to control the country's economy. >> it is not my role to comment or put myself in the place of italian electors. we need a strong italy, european italy. and italy that is reforming itself and taking its rightful place in the orchestra of change

your europe needs. >> it is important that italy not only in the interest of italy but in the interests of all europe will soon form a stable and functioning government. it is important for italy and because italy is such an important country in europe, olive europe that a stable and functioning government is formed. r inut governor of luxo egypt has ordered all the loan operators to stop operations after a crash that killed at least 19 foreign tourists near the ancient egyptian city. witnesses said the balloon exploded mid flight. two people survived the crash, including the egyptian pilot. caught air ballooning is one of the main dr. oz for the huge number of tourists who visit luxor each year. the seven city on the banks of the nile is near the valley of the kings. the pharaoh burial ground as the 60 tunes in chambers, including tut. there is also a vast temple

complex with the ruins of religious buildings. more from our reporter in cairo. >> it appears there was an explosion on board the balloon when it was around 300 meters or so from the ground. the balloon then came plummeting down, at which 0.1 of the tourists on board, we understand that the british male tourist jump from the balloon. we understand from the ministry of tourism that they contacted the relevant embassies, which includes china, japan, hungary, france, and britain, to coordinate the response and how to get the bodies back home. of course, this comes as a huge blow for the egyptian tourist -- tourism industry. one of the main sources of revenue, being one of the last areas of the country where tourists were still going to, given the fact that cairo and surrounding cities are stowe -- are so unstable politically, and also the fact that the sinai is

reported to be a difficult area to navigate in various reports of kidnappings there. it comes as a blow to the egyptian economy at a time when it could ill afford an accident like this. >> syria's opposition decided it will after all attend a conference in rome to discuss the future of the country. the change of heart was prompted by the u.s.-u.k. who promised more aid. the coalition previously refused to attend in protest for what it called a world silence over the conflict. the syrian government would not be in wrong but it did say on monday it would negotiate with any group, including armed rebels. the u.s. secretary of state is now in germany on the latest leg of his first international tour. syria is likely to be high on the agenda. john kerry is due to meet with german chancellor angela merkel and later russian foreign master sergei lavrov. sergei lavrov earlier criticized the opposition in syria for refusing to talk to the government.

>> we have noticed the need to influence both of the government and, first of all, the opposition to persuade them to not come up with unrealistic request and preconditions with the start of dialogue. it seems extreme is to bet on the military solution to syria -- syria's problems have up till now dominated the ranks of the opposition, including the so- called syrian national coalition get it, six world powers are expected to offer iran new incentives to give up its controversial nuclear program in talks underway in kazakhstan. both sides are sitting down for the fourth time to try to reach an agreement. the last meeting of the six countries with iran was in june last year. our diplomatic editor james baays reports. >> gold on sale in the grand bazaar in tehran. the importance to the iranian economy goes way along the jewelry business here. in recent years, iran has traded its oil reserves, particularly

with turkey, in return for gold. it some of the newest sanctions imposed by the west tried to stop the trade, and there at the center is the new offer likely to be made to iran at the cash expand talks -- we will ease the gold sanctions if you make concessions on the nuclear program. >> this is a new elements and that is why it has some attraction on the u.s. part to maybe put it forward as an incentive, that maybe we would not implement it. the president at this point has the authority not to implement these new sanctions, prohibiting turkey from giving iran gold for six months. >> iran's most fortified nuclear facility is buried deep underground. closure would, again, be one of the demands of international negotiators and complicating things will be recent iranian claims of a discovered further natural deposits of raw uranium, tripling the amount of previous estimates. >> --

experts are not hopeful of progress. another popular reason, political uncertainty in iran. been in tehran today, people are not talking much about the nuclear program or negotiations but talking about the upcoming presidential elections. that is where the mines are focused. until that election, i don't think the political forces in iran will be aligned in a way that would allow for compromise. >> the western nations are pursuing what they call a dual track strategy on iran. in effect, a carrot and stick approach. the carrot, the offer of negotiations. the stick, the continuing pressure, including those by eating sanctions. but over here at the united nations, the ambassador to iran made it clear talks will fail if they are overshadowed by threats. he spoke at a recent gathering in new york. >> asking the other side to take the gun from our heads is not a precondition. when they say that negotiation or any corporation should be

based on mutual respect, it means -- we should get together and try to see what the difference is and how we can all come to agreement. >> one country that will not be removing the threat of military action against iran is israel, whose prime minister said here at the u.n. last september that iran would have a nuclear bomb within a matter of months. western diplomats say it israeli military action at some point could not be discounted, and that is why there is some urgency to these

>> hello again. top stories on al jazeera. a wary reaction in europe to italy's political deadlock. anchored by austerity incorruption, italians split their votes, which means no party has the clear majority. a hot air balloon crash in egypt killed 19 tourists. witnesses say the balloon caught fire and exploded mid flight near the ancient city of luxor. two people survived, including the pilot. a brief break from sanctions on the table as six international powers begin talks with iran in a tax gain. iran says its controversial nuclear program is for peaceful purposes but many western nations fear it wants to build a

nuclear weapon. police and tunisia arrested a suspect linked to the murder of an opposition leader. he was shot in front of his home earlier this month. his killing sparked days of unrest and also led to the resignation of the prime minister. details of the arrest are still sketchy but the suspect is believed to be member of a hardline muslim movement. france says it will not negotiate with gunman who are holding a french family hostage and cameron. the group is threatening to kill the family unless the jail the fighters in cameroon and nigeria are freed. the kidnappers clinton departed the nigerian rubble group boko haram. it has become more dangerous for french citizens in certain parts of africa since france intervened in mali. >> it confirms the limitless cruelty of the hostage takers. it carried out the verification process which is necessary with the images. the only thing to be said is to

reiterate how shocking images are, the cruelty by the kidnappers and the french government's determination to do everything possible to free them. >> less than a week ago now before presidential elections in kenya, candidates faced off in the final tv debate monday night. more from nairobi. >> they walk to their eighth presidential hopefuls face one another for the second and final live television debate. economy, corruption, and the issue of land ownership. it was on corruption that the gloves came off. >> it is absolutely not true. what was happening in the 1990's is i am a professor, we are the ones who brought up the issue of the -- let me tell you, some of us have had to pay very high prices. >> my office was merely

coordinating. being executed by nine ministries -- six ministries to be exact. it was executed and to the end in that financial year. about 300,000 jobs were created. >> there was a moment when the little known mohammed -- took a swipe of the other candidates defense of the record. >>[laughter] >> kenyatta, the son of kenya's founding president -- faced up to accusations the family got land under questionable circumstances. >> i have never been accused of any impropriety in terms of grabbing anybody's lands. land that we on as a family is land that that has been purchased on the basis of willing by here and willing seller. >> these debates are targeted at the eilte and residents of urban

areas, mainly conducted in english, a language not widely spoken in rural areas where the majority live. also of doubt the ability to influence voters, most of whom have made up their mind. this is a country that often votes along ethnic lines and it is unlikely this debate will change that. al jazeera -- nairobi, kenya. >> a keyboard in australia's northwest coast is preparing for a direct hit from a powerful cyclone. people have been warned to stay indoors and low-lying areas have been evacuated. the category three systems expected to intensify as it gets closer to land. most of the world's iron ore travels through that port and any disruptions can cause global prices to rise. our study's prime minister giulio -- julia gillard declared a natural disaster in north south wales. it was caused by severe flooding that cut off some 20,000 people in the state. eight rivers burst their banks after a storm hit the towns of

south -- south of sydney. riot police again striking coffee growers and colombia. thousands of workers walked off the job across the country in demand for more subsidies. but 24 parvis was the worst the country has seen in 30 years. more than half a million families depend on coffee cultivation. india's government announced new investments to improve its railways. india's rail network the backbone of the countries economy but there are safety concerns because the system is outdated. >> india's rail network spends the length and breadth of the country. since independence, the railway has been the backbone of industry and commerce. cregan reliable form of travel. but safety is the main concern. it is estimated as many as 15,000 people are killed in railway related accidents annually. it is stampede earlier this

month during a religion -- religious festival killed 36. inadequate facilities and the lack of an emergency plan was partly to blame. for the government what it reveals a shocking disregard for safety. last year parliament was told $120 billion would be needed to improve safety, but the railways got $96 billion. it is expected to get less in 2013. freight charges have increased by 20% and passengers -- passenger fares rose by 21% in the past years. but past 10 years of ministers have tried to increase passenger fares. times have changed and so has the public attitude. >> if i take a ride on a three- wheeler or a buss, i pay a lot more than a train. but i would welcome it if it is to improvement and safety. >> even if the prices do increase, i just hope it is spent on safety. >> with 7.2 billion passengers riding the trains each year,

modernization will require a considerable price hike in ticket prices. >> if you want something, you have to pay. either pay by -- some way has to be found. i feel it has to be a mixture. ticket is direct. i think a mix of the two. >> it is a daunting task with an estimated 115,000 kilometers of track and 7500 stations. the challenge is going to be meeting safety obligations while completing current work before more development and investment. the government and public no decant subsidized the railways for ever. increasing safety through increased ticket fares with public and political support could be the mark of a successful budget. but out to 0, new delhi. >> the philippine president asked glenarm to group to end the standoff in malaysia and return home.

aquino asked the leader of the group to call that his men from malaysia's suburbs. both malaysia and the philippines claimed the area. >> this is the time to demonstrate that you are a true leader, both in name nd. the right thing to do now would be to order your followers to return home as soon as possible. a the choices and consequences are yours. if you choose not to cooperate, the full force of the laws of the state will be used to achieve justice for all of those who have been put in harm's way. >> a top court in hong kong began a hearing to clarify the status of foreign workers, and response to a landmark court decision in 2011 that gave residency rights to domestic workers. a court of appeals ruling overturned a decision last year. a hearing is expected to last three days. 60,000 chinese households are without water after an oil leak

affected the yangtze river valley. water suppliers were shut off after oil was seen floating on the water surface of the river. last month, drinking water in a city was caught off following a chemical spill. in southwestern china, 20,000 people have been evacuated from the area around a burning chemical plant. the blaze began after an explosion in the -- which produces insecticide. five workers were injured. taiwan is debating how to deal with the rising number of stray animals. protesters have fought with police in recent weeks over the issue. they are calling for the government to stop its euthanasia program. >> many people -- many places struggle with containing stray animals. but lately animal control officers in taiwan have struggled more than most. several times a day, they are called to trap and capture abandoned cats and dogs.

animal rights groups estimate some 2 million are running wild. pa the island has only a few public shelters, and they are overcrowded. of the government says it leaves it -- leaves it with little choice but to put down the animals they catch. over the past 10 years, more than a million strays have been euthanize. that has led to recent violent confrontations between police and animal rights groups. even celebrities like taiwan's rapper dog g wait and with music videos pitted and animals cannot have a vote the with the public do and we said to officials if they keep arguing that killing animals is right, they will lose our vote. >> this person is so opposed to animal euthanasia she built our own shelter. she spent her life savings taking care of a thousand cats and dogs.

>> sometimes i worry about how i am going to survive in the future, but when i am here, i am happy. the animals live one day, i live one day. >> the sheer number of animals here is incredible. it does give you a sense of the magnitude. people like her and others have for years fought the government to improve it should policies in terms of the treatment of three animals but some feel the policies are not humane enough. activists say the government should either neutered animals and set them free or encourage more people to adopt. the government admits there are shortcomings but they are addressing concerns. >> in 1999, for example, will be -- euthanizing 90% of all animals we called and last year were down to 50%. i would say we made remarkable progress. >> government officials extended the number of days the keep animals alive from 7-12, but they said the public and its role which culture and ultimately are to blame --

abandoning pets and leaving them to be dealt with by an overwhelming system. al jazeera, tie 1. >> scientists found the biggest fragment of a meteorite that exploded with the force of an atomic bomb in russia. it weighs almost 2 kilos and one of more than 100 bits found so far. it injured around 1500 people and damaged thousands of homes in siberia earlier this month. proof that good things come in small packages. an indian rocket put seven canadian satellites into orbit. they include two of the world's smallest telescopes. more from toronto. >> when you think of space science, you usually think big. the canadian satellites aboard aloft by this indian rocket are tiny, just 27 centimeters across, weighing less than 7 kilos each. >> we have done this before. >> back on earth, two more of

the tube shape devices are getting ready for herb at the university of toronto's institute for aerospace studies. a total of six have been designed here. their task is formidable. but the manager telescopes' pointed deep into space, the satellite, data on cosmic explosions and primordial matter. >> the astronomy's -- astronomers are interested in spending big, massive stars. they tend to lead it brief and violent lives and exploded to supernovas and distribute have the elements which we are all made up of. without these big stars, we would not be here. >> keeping everything small keep costs down, way down. a technician in this lab designed and built almost every aspect of the satellite, the smallest ever sent into orbit. they are also much cheaper to launch because they take up less voluble space in rocket payload. >> these satellites are in the million dollar type of range, depending on their capabilities to compare to the hundreds of

millions of dollars as some people are spending on missions that are probably more capable than our satellites but not necessarily hundred times more capable. >> happy times in this countries version of "mission control" as of the first satellite launched makes contact with ground stations here and in austria. this is a business venture as well. the more successful this mission, the more international customers to help fund future research and expand the program which began by thinking small. it is an unlikely spot for cutting edge science. here in a snowbound field on the outskirts of canada's largest city. but the inexpensive miniature satellite being made inside this building are making out airspace more accessible to